James 1 and 2

1¹James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 Tribes (of Israel) which are scattered abroad, [rejoice]. ²My Brethren, whenever you fall into [numerous and various] trials and temptations, count them all [wholly] joyful, ³knowing that the testing of your faith [accomplishes] patience. ⁴Let patience (become) [mature and complete] (so) you may be [fulfilled and complete] in entirety, lacking nothing.

⁵If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask [the giving] God, who gives to all men liberally and it will be given to him, not [chiding, railing or reproaching]. ⁶But let him ask in faith nothing wavering. He that wavers [doubts; trembles back and forth; hesitate] is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For this reason don't let the man that wavers think he'll receive anything of the Lord. ⁸A double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹Let the poor [and afflicted] brother rejoice in his exaltation; ¹⁰but the rich [in his humiliation] because as the flower of the grass he will pass away. ¹¹Because the sun has no sooner risen with [scorching] heat and it withers the grass and its flower fell off and the [beauty of its appearance] perishes. and so will the rich man fade away in his ways.

¹²Blessed is the man that endures temptations [and trials] because when he is tried and [tested], he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to them that love him.

¹³Let no man say, when he is tempted, "I am tempted [from] God"; because God is incapable of being tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man. ¹⁴But everyone is tempted when they are drawn away by their own lusts and enticed. ¹⁵Then when the lust has conceived it brings forth [umbelief; doubts; sin] and, when [full grown] brings forth death.

¹⁶[Make no mistake], my beloved brethren. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, neither shadow of turning. (meaning unmoving, unchanging). ¹⁸Of his own will he [brought us forth] with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. ¹⁹So, my beloved Brethren, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to [violent passions]; ²⁰because the [violent passions] of man works not the righteousness of God. ²¹So put away [shameful, wicked, depravity] and overflowing of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted (given) word, which divinely is able to save our souls. (Romans 1:16). ²²But be doers of the word not just hearers deceiving yourselves. (by false reasoning). ²³Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer they are like a man seeing the face he was born with in a mirror; ²⁴because he sees himself and goes away immediately forgetting what he looks like. ²⁵But whoever looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, continues in it as a doer who works rather than a hearer who forgets and the doer will be blessed in his deed.

²⁶If any man among you seems to be [pious; ceremonious in worship] and can't [control; curb] his tongue, but deceives his own heart his religion (ceremonial observance) is vain (futile). ²⁷Pure [ceremonial obserance] before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

2¹My Brethren, don't put your faith in (men because they hold a high position) but in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory. ²Because if a poor man or rich man comes among the [family of God] ³and you favor the rich man and say to him, "Here take this good seat", and say to the poor man, "stand here", or trreat him as an enemy (Ps.110:1) ⁴are you not partial among yourselves and judges with evil thoughts? ⁵[Listen attentively] my Brethren, hasn't GOD CHOSEN the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to them that love him? ⁶You have despised the poor. Isn't it the rich man that oppresses you and [drags] you to court (to be judged by the laws they made)? ⁷Don't they blaspheme the worthy name by which you are called?

⁸If you fulfill the royal law according to scripture "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" you do well. (John 13:34-35). ⁹But if you have [favoritism] you are sinning and, under the law, would be convicted as transgressors, ¹⁰because anyone walking under the law and offends in even one point, is guilty of all. ¹¹Because he said, "Don't commit adultry" and "don't [shed innocent blood]", so if you don't commit adultry but do [shed innocent blood] you [have crossed the line and broken] the law. ¹²So talk and behave as they that will be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³He that shows no mercy will be judged without mercy and mercy rejoices against judgment.

¹⁴What is the profit, my Brethren, if a man claims faith (talks)(Matt.7:21-23) but has no [labor](1 Thess.1:3; 1 Tim.5:17)? Can [that] faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother and sister be naked and without food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Peace to you, be warmed and filled" and you do nothing to feed and warm their bodies, what is the profit? ¹⁷So this kind of faith is dead when without the works [of love](mercy and compassion). ¹⁸Yes, a man can say, "I have faith and works"; show me you faith without works and I will show mine BY my works. (Actions speak louder than words). ¹⁹If you believe there is ONE God; you do well. [Even] the demons believe and tremble, ²⁰but do you know, oh [empty] man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹Wasn't our father, Abraham, when he offered his son, Isaac, on the alter? ²²Don't you see how his faith [worked] with his works and so by works was faith made perfect? ²³And the scripture was fulfilled which said, "Abraham believed God" and it was reckoned to him for righteousness. ²⁴So you see a man is justified by his [actions] not just his faith alone. ²⁵In the same way wasn't Rahab, the harlot, justified by works (actions) when she received the messengers and sent the out another way? ²⁶Because, just as the body would be dead without the spirit, so is faith dead without works.